Has Nick Clegg ruled out a pact with the Tories?

27 April 2010, 12:00am

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No, in short, he hasn’t. Clegg was deemed to have compromised his party’s
intricate anti-politics strategy by ruling out a ‘progressive’ coalition with Labour led by Gordon Brown, a stance that suggested Clegg sought the affections of David Cameron. Clegg has
since clarified his position:

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"I think, if Labour do come third in terms of the number of votes cast, then people would find it inexplicable that Gordon Brown himself could carry on as prime minister. As for who I'd
work with, I've been very clear – much clearer than David Cameron and Gordon Brown – that I will work with anyone. I will work with a man from the moon, I don't care, with anyone who
can deliver the greater fairness that I think people want."

Now, would Clegg be any more attracted to a Brown who had finished second? Clegg has described Brown as “desperate” and holds the Prime Minister “personally responsible” for
blocking political reform. Brown embodies the old politics and Clegg would work with anyone else, even a man from the moon like David Cameron. Just a thought, but doesn’t allowing animosity
to dictate politics sound familiar rather than new?